Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-09-09
a rERRlsLE ACCIDENT.



our fate to chronicle occurred here last Sun.
day afternoon. About 80 that evening
messenger arrived from w. Thompson's
farm. some six miles below Blackfoot, on
this side of Snake River, with the terrible
tidings that Mr.. Thompson's two Oldest
daughters, Annie and Amelia, had been
drowned. together with Charles Brown, an
hour or 30 previous, in q slough near the
house. He came for assistance and had
been witness to the entire heartrending
scene. The news spread rapidly over town,
as the two young ladies were known to
every one and were favorites In society.
His story was one of the most pitiable we
have ever listened 10 and shocked the en-
tire community.
1t seems that the two girls strolled out
on sunday afternoon for walk towards
the river, and Lot Brown, or Charlie Mar
tin, as he is more familiarly known, met
them and proposed boatride In slough
After some demurring the girls consented.
The boat Is an old affair and has big
crack in the stern. As soon as they were
we'll into the water 1t was discovered that
II leaked badly and one of the girls tried 70
SHIFT her position in order to throw the stern
out OF the water and thus stop the leak.
This movement careened the boat and its
occupants were thrown into the water.
The boat turned bottom up and Brown as
soon as he arose caught it and clambered
up on the middle. Annie, the eldest of the
two girls, was flung quite distance from
the boat, and could not reach it.
The man on the bank called out to her
to swim and instructed her how to use her
hands. This kept her afoat for four or five
minutes. Meanwhile the other girl had ris-
en- near the boat and was floating just at
the surface of the water. The man told
Brown to catch her as she drifted by and
help her on the boat In doing this, Brown
slid down towards the bow and when he
tried to lift her up the boat tipped and
both fell into the water. Brown rose again
and caught the edge of the boat, but as
Amelia sank for the last time, she seized
his foot and dragged HIM under. They die
not rise again. Annie had kept herself uE
all this time, and the man on the bank
who is a stranger, and whose name we die
not learn, was making an effort to reacl
her with rope.
| "Don't mind me-" she cried, "but saw
my sister and Brown"
The man replied that he could not do it
that they were already drowning.
At this her head fell forward into tb
water and she ceased struggling. He
body drifted closer to shore and the maj
waded out and brought her to shore. Sh'
was quite warm. 1t is thought that sht
tainted when told of her sisters fate, bu
this seems hardly probable, as it looks i'm
possible for one to faint while IN the WI
ter. The water itself would counteract tn
feeling. A more reasonable explanatio
is that the young lady suffered slight
from heart disease and that the terriDl
words brought on swift attack of the d
sease and that during this the poor gu
drowned
Search tor the bodies of Amelia an
Brown was maintained during the nigh
The later's body was found little afte
s Monday morning, the grab hook ente
ing his cheek and lacerating it conslde
ably. He was buried that morning in tn
grave yard at this place. The body OF tf
girl was dragged up about noon.
The girls were both well known ana vel
popular. Annie was almost eighteen an
/, Amelia year or two younger. They we
I pretty, bright and intelligent and the
A loss is one deeply deplored by the en'i
: community. No words Of ours can conso
the broken hearts of the parents; nothir
we can do will alleviate their suffering
The Father to whose loving bosom the
y innocent children have flown can and wi
extend the consolation that alone can he
!, the bleeding wound and bring back u
t sunshine to their darkened lives. In ID
;. own good time this will be done.